Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Member Spotlight: etchasketchinlola

Today's member spotlight is on etchasketchinlola. She's been a member for four years now and we wanted to catch up with her because it's been awhile since her last interview. She's now a tutor in NYC. Maybe she can teach us some of her set creating skills. Check out some of her favorite sets.

My name is Angelica, but I’m more commonly known as Angie. I am 23 years old and work as a tutor here in New York. Typically, I go for a very effortless style. I wear mostly jeans, t-shirts, cardigans and maxis; stuff that I can throw on fast and get out of the house. For the most part, I like to blend colors and patterns, but nowadays the most interesting things I wear are my shoes. I am obsessed with shoes lately. From cowboy booties to sky high Jeffrey Campbells, I have totally fallen in love with shoes.

Where do you live, and what trends are big there?

As I mentioned earlier, I live in New York, specifically in the Bronx. Trends tend to be limited to whatever section of the Bronx you’re from. Here in Riverdale, there’s a definite preppy vibe, but as the temperature gets higher everyone pulls out their maxi and midi skirts. The biggest trend right now is floral pants. I can’t walk a block without seeing a pair of floral jeans, pants or leggings, which I absolutely love!

What is your favorite brand/designer? What do like about that brand?

My favorite brands? That can take all day. There are brands that I love but have never had the courage to actually purchase because (a) I would go broke or (b) don’t think I could ever pull the look off. Then, there are brands that are a bit low-end that I love and wear every day. The dream brands include: Isabel Marant, Alice + Olivia, Elizabeth and James, Christopher Kane and Lanvin. They are all pretty out-of-the-box and different. Also, they tend to play with different colors and patterns which is completely up my alley. As I’m still young and don’t have the ability to splurge on big ticket items, I stick mostly to Free People, H&M, House of Harlow, Jeffrey Campbell, Steve Madden, Gap and Zara. Those brands have nice quality and fashionable clothes that won’t send me to the poorhouse so I love shopping there.

Which celebrity has great style?

This is probably the most difficult question for me to answer as I am obsessed with street style. Lately, I have been following Miley Cyrus’ style and it has really impressed me. She has formed a great balance between boho and street chic that I envy so much. Her style is like a more colorful Rachel Bilson and I love it. However my all-time favorite celeb style crush is Nicole Richie. In the past few years, she has perfected her style and created the perfect modern boho look. It’s not overtly hippie as if she was attending Coachella year-round; it’s just the perfect combination of boho, edgy and I don’t even know. She just never fails to impress me.

What are your personal aspirations/goals?

As far as my professional goals, I am hoping to go back to school and finally become a teacher. I keep putting it off, but that is my ultimate goal. Aside from that and despite how cliché it sounds, I genuinely just aspire to live a happy, healthy life. I’m not exactly sure what that will entail, but that’s what I want.

How has Polyvore affected your life?

Aside from providing me with hours of fun, Polyvore has given me two things (a) a greater love of fashion and interior design (b) new friends and (c) my own personal style. Before Polyvore, I liked fashion but we were at a “just friends” stage. I did not take it very seriously and would occasionally skim magazines. After I found Polyvore I found myself truly enthralled in fashion. Now I know more brands and labels, designers' names, models' names, etc., whereas I previously thought Christian Dior was the designer for Christian Dior. I was completely unaware of a whole world of knowledge. Polyvore piqued my interest and opened the door to this hidden world. I also gained an array of friends from all over the world, which is just pretty awesome. Meeting new people from different cultures, countries and walks of life has been very eye-opening and amazing; definitely an experience that you cannot achieve on most websites. Finally, Polyvore has helped me develop my own style. I no longer wear whatever my friends are wearing or whatever I see people around me wearing. Instead, I now choose the things that I enjoy. I shop for things that fit my taste. I have a deeper understanding of my taste now, and I don’t know if I would have found that had I not stuck with Polyvore.

Describe your personal sense of style.

I try for a boho or effortless-chic style, but I usually miss since I throw a leather jacket or grandma style cardigan over everything I wear. I love colors, particularly pinks and oranges. They go well with my skin tone so I wear them pretty often. I also love mixing prints. It’s like habit for me now. It was something I started doing in my sets, that just seeped its way into my wardrobe and now I can’t go a day with clashing prints.

Great interview, Angie... you brought back my time in NYC many years ago, living on the Upper West Side (when it was affordable!) and going to grad aschool at Teachers College. Stick to your dream of being a teacher... the world needs them! I love your personal style sense, and your sets are gorgeous.